HistoryExtra podcast

The Islamic enlightenment

27 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist and author Yasmin Alibhai-Brown interviews Christopher de Bellaigue about his new book The Islamic Enlightenment, which considers how the M...

Historical fiction and a US murder scandal

20 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Philippa Gregory talks to us about her 30-year career as a historical novelist and the history behind bestsellers such as The Other Boleyn Girl and Th...

The ‘Father of History’ and India in the British empire

13 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Paul Cartledge reflects on the work of the Greek author Herodotus, who was born 2,500 years ago and is regarded as the first historian. Mean...

America in World War One and a naval tragedy

06 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

On the centenary of America’s entry into the First World War, historian Adam IP Smith explores the impact of this momentous decision on both the con...

Women in popular history

30 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

We gathered a panel of historians – Janina Ramirez, Anna Whitelock, Joann Fletcher and Fern Riddell – to consider the the challenges and opportuni...

Blitzkrieg

23 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Military historian Lloyd Clark challenges a number of myths about the 1940 German invasion of France, in a lecture he delivered at our World War Two d...

Utopias in history and an environmental disaster

16 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Writer and thinker Rutger Bregman discusses his new book Utopia for Realists, exploring examples of how to create a better society. Meanwhile, we spea...

Postwar occupations and Raleigh bicycles

09 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Susan L Carruthers tells the story of American forces who occupied Germany, Japan and other defeated powers after World War Two. Meanwhile, ...

The Reformation

02 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

As we approach the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, Professor Eamon Duffy joins us to discuss some of the big questions about the religious uphea...

A revolutionary engineer and Victoria’s Indian confidant

23 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist and author Julian Glover describes the life and remarkable career of Georgian engineer Thomas Telford, the subject of his new biography. Me...

The roots of modern rage

16 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Author and journalist Pankaj Mishra and historian Tom Holland discuss Mishra’s new book, Age of Anger, which explores the origins of the resentments...

The impact of war and a zoological institution

09 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Peter Clarke shares some insights from his new book The Locomotive of War, which considers how conflicts have shaped modern history. Meanwhi...

The Russian revolution and myths of ancient Egypt

02 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Robert Service explores the downfall of tsar Nicholas II while John Romer discusses popular misconceptions about life in ancient Egypt Hosted on Acast...

The history of puzzles and the extraordinary life of Lady Anne Barnard

26 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Alex Bellos explores 2,000 years of puzzles, while Stephen Taylor introduces an unconventional Georgian aristocrat Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv...

The Battle of Britain

19 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In a talk from our 2015 History Weekend at Malmesbury, historian James Holland describes how the Luftwaffe and RAF fought to control the skies over Br...

A history of Istanbul

12 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Bettany Hughes talks to Peter Frankopan about her new book exploring Istanbul's diverse history, from its earliest days through to the uphea...

The big questions of the Holocaust

05 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Historian, author and broadcaster Laurence Rees joins us to discuss his upcoming book The Holocaust: A New History and consider some of the key debate...

The birth of Eurasia

29 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In a talk from our 2016 History Weekend event in Winchester, the renowned archaeologist Barry Cunliffe discusses the subject of his recent book By Ste...

2016 Christmas history quiz

22 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Join the BBC History Magazine team for the return of our annual Christmas history quiz. The quizmaster is QI writer Justin Pollard Hosted on Acast. Se...

Corner shops and Russian ballet

15 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Babita Sharma talks about her new BBC Four documentary 'Booze, Beans and Bhajis: The Story of the Corner Shop', while Simon Morrison explores the colo...

Historians in parliament

08 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Historian-politicians Tristram Hunt, Chris Skidmore, Kwasi Kwarteng and Peter Hennessy explain how their two professions relate to each other. Hosted ...

The attack on Pearl Harbor and physics through the ages

01 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Nicholas Best reflects on the events and aftermath of the 1941 Japanese raid, while Carlo Rovelli discusses his new book 'Reality Is Not What It Seems...

Arts and Crafts and unusual inventors

24 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Rosalind Ormiston discusses an important 19th-century artistic movement, while David Bramwell introduces some of history’s most talented eccentrics....

Soviet science and feeding Britain at war

17 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Ings, author of Stalin and the Scientists, describes how the Bolshevik leaders intervened in scientific research in the USSR. Meanwhile, food wr...

The wartime SAS and Hitler’s drug addiction

10 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Author and broadcaster Ben Macintyre details the extraordinary activities of the Special Air Service in the fight against the Axis, based on research ...

Black British history and Charles I’s children

03 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Historian and broadcaster David Olusoga explores Britain’s often forgotten links with the people of Africa. Meanwhile, historical author Linda Porte...

Reporting from war zones

27 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

John Simpson, the BBC’s World Affairs Editor, reflects on his 50 years of reporting from conflicts all over the globe. Plus, he considers how life f...

The Aberfan disaster and women who made history

24 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

As we approach the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster, historian and producer Steve Humphries talks about how the Welsh village has coped with t...

The Norman Conquest

13 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

As we approach the 950th anniversary of the battle of Hastings, medieval historian Marc Morris tells the story of William the Conqueror’s dramatic v...

Lenin and the Russian revolutions

06 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Catherine Merridale recounts the future Soviet leader’s famous 1917 train journey across Europe to Petrograd, where the took command of the Bolshevi...

Historical television and the battle of Flodden

29 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Tony Robinson discusses his new autobiography, No Cunning Plan, and the impact of shows such as Time Team and Blackadder. Meanwhile, Dr Katie Stevenso...

Women in politics and Robinson Crusoe

22 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Julie V Gottlieb charts the progression from the Suffragettes to Theresa May and Hillary Clinton, while Andrew Lambert tells the story of a Pacific is...

Cold War summits

15 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Historians David Reynolds and Kristina Spohr discuss their new book about the postwar meetings between international leaders that aimed to control the...

Poldark and historical TV drama

08 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

As the smash-hit series Poldark returns to our screens, its historical advisor, Hannah Greig and Horrible Histories historian Greg Jenner join us to d...

The end of the First World War and the Duke of Wellington

01 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Robert Gerwarth discusses his new book The Vanquished, which shows how Europe continued to be beset by violence long after 1918. Meanwhile, ...

The Great Fire of London

25 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

As we approach the 350th anniversary of the 1666 blaze, historical author Alexander Larman describes how the inferno devastated London. Meanwhile, we ...

The Suez crisis and the north of England

18 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Historian and author Alex von Tunzelmann reflects on the dramatic events that took place in the middle east and Hungary 60 years ago. Meanwhile, we sp...

The 1920s: Roaring or tame?

11 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Historian, author and broadcaster Kate Williams explores the key developments of the early interwar period, in this talk that was delivered at our 201...

The Cold War and the history of philosophy

04 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Rory Cormac guides us around York Cold War Bunker, which was designed to monitor the fallout of a nuclear attack. Meanwhile, we speak to historian ...

Jacobites and the Ancient World

29 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Jacqueline Riding describes the events of the 1745 rebellion, while Michael Scott explains how ancient cultures across the globe managed to interact w...

Two King Edwards

21 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Davenport-Hines and Piers Brendon, authors of new biographies of Edward VII and Edward VIII, discuss the two kings’ contrasting lives and re...

Paris’s women at war and the Housewives’ League

14 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Anne Sebba talks to us about her new book, Les Parisiennes, which explores how women of Paris fared under Nazi occupation. Meanwhile, we catch up with...

Britain’s Second World War and the Country House

07 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Daniel Todman talks to us about his new book: Britain's War: Into Battle, 1937-1941. Meanwhile, we are joined by historian Adrian Tinniswood to dis...

Battle of the Somme special

30 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

As we approach the centenary of the 1916 clash, we speak to Hugh Sebag-Montefiore, author of Somme: Into the Breach. Meanwhile, Jonathan Ruffle of gbf...

The Radium Girls and the cotton revolution

23 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Kate Moore describes the tragic story of a group of women who were exposed to radium in 20th-century America, while Terry Wyke visits a key site from ...

Wolfson History Prizes: Nazi camps and St Augustine

16 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Robin Lane Fox and Nikolaus Wachsmann talk about their award-winning books: Augustine: Conversions and Confessions and KL: A History of the Nazi Conce...

Operation Barbarossa

09 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

As we near the 75th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s assault on the Soviet Union, Antony Beevor explores this pivotal moment in the Second World War Ho...

Tudor monarchs and a Medieval civil war

02 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Tracy Borman reveals the secret lives of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Mary Tudor et al, while Nicholas Vincent describes the events of Simon de Montfort’...

Writing history in the 21st century

26 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Four leading historians discuss the big developments in book publishing since the launch of BBC History Magazine back in May 2000 Hosted on Acast. See...

The battle of Jutland and 1950s domestic dangers

19 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Admiral Lord West describes a crucial First World War naval clash, while Suzannah Lipscomb tells us about her new BBC documentary: Hidden Killers of t...

A Victorian murder and a ship that made history

12 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Kate Summerscale, author of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, tells us about her new book, which investigates another shocking 19th-century crime. Meanwhi...

Sykes-Picot and a 17th-century polymath

05 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

On the centenary of the Sykes-Picot agreement, historian Catriona Pennell reflects on this secret 1916 Anglo-French agreement to divide up the Middle ...

The history of consumerism and Chinese philosophy

28 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Frank Trentmann explores how our patterns of consumption have changed over the centuries, while Christine Gross-Loh discusses the legacy of ancient Ch...

Shakespeare’s world and cricket in South Africa

21 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Edward Wilson-Lee looks at how the playwright’s work became celebrated on a global scale, while Dean Allen recounts the story of a pioneering Britis...

Student life and working class culture

14 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Our own Ellie Cawthorne talks about her new BBC Radio 4 series that focuses on 900 years of higher education. Meanwhile, author and broadcaster Stuart...

Charles II and an Atlantic experiment

07 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Clare Jackson talks about her new biography of the 17th-century king, which is part of the Penguin Monarchs series. Meanwhile, BBC radio pre...

The Dissolution and a forgotten colony

31 Mar 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Adam Morton visits Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire to explore the events of Henry VIII’s assault on the monasteries. Meanwhile, historian and author...

Democracy and an age of genius

24 Mar 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Classicist Paul Cartledge heads back to Ancient Greece to explore the roots of mass participation in politics. Meanwhile, we speak to philosopher AC G...

The Easter Rising and a Victorian heyday

17 Mar 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Heather Jones explores the dramatic rebellion of 1916, while Ben Wilson explains why the 1850s was such a transformative decade Hosted on Acast. See a...

Muslims and Jews in the 16th century

10 Mar 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Jerry Brotton describes how Elizabethan England formed an important relationship with the Islamic world. He then goes on to tell the story o...

The Holy Roman Empire and Capability Brown

03 Mar 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Peter Wilson discusses his new book The Holy Roman Empire: A Thousand Years of Europe's History. Meanwhile, garden historian Sarah Rutherfor...

Middle East history special

25 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Kanishk Tharoor and Maryam Maruf, the presenter and producer of the new radio series Museum of Lost Objects, highlight some of the antiquities that ha...

Verdun and the Renaissance

18 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Professor David Reynolds describes the Battle of Verdun, which pitched French and German forces against each other in one of the bloodiest episodes of...

Benjamin Franklin in London

11 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

George Goodwin discusses the American Founding Father’s years in the British capital, on location at Benjamin Franklin House Hosted on Acast. See ac...

The battle over Henry VIII’s will

04 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Tudor expert Dr Suzannah Lipscomb talks to fellow historian Dan Jones about a remarkable 16th-century document. The king's will had great ramification...

The Romanovs and King Arthur

28 Jan 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Historian and author Simon Sebag Montefiore talks to us about his new book that chronicles the remarkable Russian ruling dynasty. Meanwhile, archaeolo...

A global view of history

21 Jan 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In a talk from our 2015 History Weekend event at Malmesbury, historian Michael Scott argues that we need to bring the histories of China, Greece, Ind...

Postwar Germany and medieval CSI

14 Jan 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Lara Feigel talks to us about her new book, The Bitter Taste of Victory: In the Ruins of the Reich, which shows how the Allies used culture to try ...

The amazing history of Egypt

07 Jan 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In a lecture from our 2015 History Weekend event, Professor Joann Fletcher, presenter of the BBC series Immortal Egypt, explores the story of this rem...

Victorian bakers and the Leningrad symphony

31 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Historian and TV presenter Alex Langlands explains how bread making in the 19th century differed from today. Meanwhile, music expert Tom Service tells...

2015 Christmas history quiz

24 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Test your trivia knowledge with our podcast pub quiz. The questions have been devised by QI’s Justin Pollard Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy ...

Britain’s railways and the Titanic

17 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Bradley, author of The Railways: Nation, Network and People talks to us about a British transport revolution. Meanwhile, we pay a visit to Titan...

A history of red hair and amazing animals

10 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Jacky Colliss Harvey charts the fascinating history of red-headedness from ancient times until the present day. Meanwhile, Stephen Moss talks about hi...

The Battle of the Atlantic and the history of Spain

03 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Jonathan Dimbleby describes the pivotal World War Two naval clash, while Marion Milne talks about a new BBC Four series on Spain through the ages Host...

Shakespeare in 1606 and Olympic swimmers

26 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Professor James Shapiro talks to us about his new book 1606: William Shakespeare and the Year of Lear, a follow-up to his acclaimed 1599. Meanwhile th...

The Peasants’ Revolt and a Cold War spy

19 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Author and broadcaster Melvyn Bragg introduces his latest historical novel, Now is the Time, which centres on the 14th-cenury uprising. Meanwhile, we ...

Ancient Rome special

12 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Classical historian and broadcaster Mary Beard talks to us about her new one-volume history of Rome entitled SPQR. Meanwhile, we speak to the bestsell...

The end of the Cold War and British culture

05 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Robert Service describes how the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union – Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev – brought about a d...

World War Two spies and an extraordinary naturalist

29 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Bestselling military historian Sir Max Hastings joins us to discuss his new book The Secret War. Meanwhile, we speak to historian and author Andrea Wu...

The Last Kingdom and Agincourt

28 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Bernard Cornwell talks about his books that inspired the new TV drama The Last Kingdom, while Anne Curry discusses Agincourt ahead of the 600th annive...

A year in medieval England

15 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Cambridge historian and BBC Making History presenter Helen Castor interviews medieval historian Dan Jones about his new book, Realm Divided, which exp...

The Brontës and a revolutionary artist

08 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Charlotte Brontë’s latest biographer, Claire Harman, visits the home of three remarkable literary sisters. Meanwhile, broadcaster and historian Loy...

New views on the Holocaust and 1980s Britain

01 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Yale historian Timothy Snyder discusses Black Earth, his bold new study of the Nazi genocide of the Jews. Meanwhile, we speak to Andy Beckett whose la...

Celts special

24 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

As the British Museum's major new exhibition, Celts: Art and Identity, opens, curator Julia Farley guides us around some of the most important and int...

The Somme and the Jacobites

18 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Andrew Roberts talks to us about his new book on the opening day of one of World War One's bloodiest battles. Meanwhile, Professor Christoph...

Roman emperors and women through the ages

10 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Tom Holland speaks to us about his new book on the first five Roman emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero. Meanwhile, we're joined...

North Sea oil and the Blitz

03 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

BBC Radio 4 presenter James Naughtie talks to us about his new series that charts the history of Britain's oil boom, which began 40 years ago. Meanwhi...

Killing Mussolini

27 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

In a lecture from our 2014 History Weekend, historian Roderick Bailey describes the attempts of Britain's SOE to assassinate the Italian Fascist leade...

Ancient cities and the Norman conquest

20 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Classical historian Andrew Wallace-Hadrill explains how the great cities of Athens and Rome functioned in the ancient world. Meanwhile, medieval exper...

Crusade logistics and the battle over the slave trade

13 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Oxford historian Christopher Tyerman talks to us about his new book How to Plan a Crusade. Meanwhile, we pay a visit to the University of Cambridge wh...

The Pacific War and First World War black soldiers

06 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Francis Pike challenges some commonly-held assumptions about World War Two in Asia, as we reach the 70th anniversary of the attack on Hirosh...

Ancient thinkers and the history of madness

30 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Historian and broadcaster Bettany Hughes discusses three of history's greatest philosophers: Socrates, Confucius and the Buddha, who all feature in he...

Witch trials and feuding queens

23 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Robert Poole visits Lancaster Castle, scene of the dramatic 1612 trials of the Pendle witches. Meanwhile, we're joined by Nancy Goldstone wh...

Anglo-Saxon saints and British slave-owners

16 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Oxford historian Janina Ramirez picks out some of the most remarkable saints from the early medieval period. Meanwhile, historian and broadcaster Davi...

Regency scandal and the history of canals

09 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Historical author Geraldine Roberts talks about a disastrous Georgian marriage that filled the newspapers of the day. Meanwhile, Professor Emma Griffi...

India at war and mining accidents

02 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Yasmin Khan talks about her new book, The Raj at War, which explores the impact of World War Two on the people of India, many of whom fought...

Terror in Elizabethan England

25 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

In a lecture from our 2014 History Weekend in Malmesbury, Tudor historian Jessie Childs describes how Catholics were suppressed during the reign of th...

Waterloo 200 special

18 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

As we reach the bicentenary of the battle of Waterloo, expert historians Julian Humphrys and Tim Blanning reveal how Napoleon was finally defeated, an...

The real King John and the BBC in World War Two

11 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

As we reach the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, historians Stephen Church and Marc Morris offer their views on the controversial king who sealed the...

Queen Victoria at home and a new Civil War museum

04 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Jane Ridley, biographer of Queen Victoria, guides us around Osborne on the Isle of Wight where the queen and Prince Albert used to reside. Meanwhile, ...